New African rice can boost yields up to 50 per cent
Regional, Agriculture, 4/6/2001

The West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), supported by the UN Development Program (UNDP) and other partners, has developed new rice that can help reduce poverty and save countries millions of dollars in rice imports.

The Panafrican news agency reports quoting a release of the UNDP that NERICA (New Rice for Africa), as the varieties are known, can produce up to 50 per cent more grain than current varieties when cultivated with traditional rain-fed systems without fertilizer.

Because the new rice is even more responsive than current types to fertilizer and other inputs, it also gives farmers a stronger incentive to use more modern methods.

WARDA will hold in its headquarters in Bouake, C?te d'Ivoire this April 9-12 a workshop to establish a group of partners to launch of NERICA throughout the region.

Adoption of NERICA in West Africa on about 25 per cent of the area planted over the next three to five years can potentially save $ 100 million a year in rice imports and boost farmers' incomes by more than 25%0, according to the UNDP.

The Government of Japan, UNDP, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Rockefeller Foundation and the African Development Bank are co-organizers of the WARDA workshop.

"NERICA is an excellent example on how science can be put to work for poverty reduction," said Peter Matlon of the UNDP Policy Development Bureau.

"It is already having a real impact on improving poor farmers' incomes and increasing their food security," Matlon said, adding "women rice farmers have been in the drivers seat to design the types of rice plants they wanted."

As a result, the new varieties are particularly well suited to poor farmers who cannot afford inputs such as fertilizer and herbicides.

NERICA is also seen as a significant example of South-South cooperation, with African technologies being transferred to partners in Asia and Latin America in this case.

Ultimately, the new rice can help boost rice yields world-wide, UNDP contends.

"NERICA has a great potential to become the second miracle rice, this time developed in Africa," said Ken Fujimura, UNDP Senior Advisor on South-South Cooperation, referring to Asian varieties that dramatically increased yields when introduced several decades ago.

NERICA, developed by crossing African and Asian rice species, combines the best attributes of both. In addition to higher yields, the new varieties mature 30 to 50 days earlier than current varieties.

The new rice is substantially richer in protein and is far more disease and drought tolerant than previous varieties.

It also resists some of the most damaging insect pests in West Africa and can out-compete weeds.

This major scientific breakthrough included three years of trials, during which farmers played the vital role in selecting varieties in the field.

Previous Stories:
  British ambassador talks about Foot-And-Mouth Disease in the UK   (4/3/2001)
  Mouth and foot disease in the Arab states   (3/20/2001)
  5th Arab dairy products conference and First Arab and international special exhibition of dairy products   (1/31/2001)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search